Shahidur Rahman Chowdhury (; born 17 November 1947), known by his nickname Shantoo, is a former

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and manager.

Club career

In 1966, after giving his SSC examination in

Rangpur Rangpur may refer to: Places In Bangladesh *Rangpur Division, one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. *Rangpur District, district of Bangladesh in Rangpur Division. *Rangpur, Bangladesh, metropolis and a major city in northern ...

, he moved to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. His football career started the same year for Azad Sporting Club in the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

, after impressing Azad coach Ranjit Das. However, before playing domestic football in Dhaka, he played in the inter-district team for Rangpur and the divisional team for

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

, where his team reached the district final against Dhaka. He made a name for himself while playing for the

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

's two biggest clubs at the time, Dhaka Wanderers and Mohammedan SC, before

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

's independence.

International career

Pakistan national team

In 1967, after making his move to Dhaka Wanderers, Shantoo was one of the only four

East Pakistani East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

players who were called up to the

Pakistan national football team The Pakistan national football team () represents Pakistan in men's international Association football, football in FIFA-authorized events and is controlled by the Pakistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Pakistan. Paki ...

for the 1967 RCD Cup. The other players being Golam Sarwar Tipu, Pratap Shankar Hazra and Hafizuddin Ahmed. In 1968, he represented Pakistan against

FC Kairat Football Club Kairat () is a professional football club based in Almaty, which plays in the Kazakhstan Premier League, the highest level of Kazakh football. Founded in 1954 as Lokomotiv Alma-Ata, they became Urozhay in 1955 and Kairat in 1956. ...

from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. He went on to represent Pakistan during the 1969 RCD Cup in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and also during the Friendship Cup held in Iran the same year. The next year, he represented Pakistan Football Federation XI at the 1970 Friendship Cup in Iran.

Bangladesh national team

After the

1971 Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which resulted in the independence ...

, Shantoo played for the President's XI team during the first football match in the newly independent

, on 13 February 1972. He kept a clean sheet as his side defeated Bangladesh XI (unofficial Bangladesh national team) 2–0. On 13 May 1972, Shantoo represented the Dhaka XI team as they defeated the first international football team to visit independent Bangladesh,

Mohun Bagan AC Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest multi-sports clubs in Asia. The club has various sports departments like association football, footb ...

by a goal from

Kazi Salahuddin Kazi Salahuddin (; born 23 September 1953) is a Bangladeshi former football player currently serving as the president of South Asian Football Federation. He previously served as the president of Bangladesh Football Federation from 2008 to 2024. ...

. In 1973, coach Sheikh Shaheb Ali named Shantoo in the first

Bangladesh national football team The Bangladesh national football team () is the national recognised football team of Bangladesh and is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) since 1973 and of FIFA sin ...

squad which travelled to Malaysia for the 1973 Merdeka Tournament. He made his debut for Bangladesh against

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

during the country's first official international game. With the encounter ending 2–2, Bangladesh were reported to have lost on penalties. With Shantoo in goal, the defense that day included captain

Zakaria Pintoo Zakaria Pintoo (; 1 January 1943 – 18 November 2024), alternatively spelled Zakaria Pintu, was a Bangladeshi footballer who played as a defender. He was the first captain of the Bangladesh national team. Pintoo gained fame as the captain of ...

Abdul Hakim Abdul Hakim () is a Muslim male given name, and in modern usage, first name or surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and ''Hakim''. The name means "servant of the All-wise", ''Al-Hakīm'' being one of the names of God in the ...

, Sheikh Ashraf Ali and Nazir Ahmed Chowdhury. Shantoo remained the first choice goalkeeper for the national team during

1975 Merdeka Tournament The 1975 Merdeka Tournament was the nineteenth edition of the annual football tournament hosted by Malaysia. It took place from 29 July to 17 August 1975 with eight participating nations. Venues Group stage ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ...

in Malaysia, 1976 King's Cup and

1978 Asian Games The 8th Asian Games (), also known as Bangkok 1978 (), were held from 9 to 20 December 1978, in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. Then Islamabad, ...

in Bangkok, the 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in Dhaka, South Korea's 1979 President's Cup, Kuwait's

1980 AFC Asian Cup The 1980 AFC Asian Cup was the 7th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were hosted by Kuwait between 15 and 30 S ...

, President's Gold Cup in Dhaka in 1981 and lastly during the

1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament The 1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament was the second edition of the Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament. The event was held at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. Venue Squads :SourceRSSSF Bangladesh Head coach: Abdul Ga ...

in Pakistan. Shantoo was made the national team captain for the 1976 King's Cup and retained the role for the 1978 Asian Games. At the time when the Dhaka Derby was one of the most heated football rivalries in South Asia,

Bangladesh Football Federation Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānglādesh fūṭbôl fēḍārēshôn'') is the governing body that administers the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national teams, ...

's decision to choose

Mohammedan ''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muhamm ...

's Shantoo over the more experienced Monwar Hossain Nannu of

Abahani Krira Chakra Abahani Limited Dhaka (), also referred as Dhaka Abahani or Abahani Limited, is a Bangladeshi professional football club based in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, the top ...

, was criticized by both players and fans. This led to six Abahani players quitting the national team before the tournament. In the opening match of the

against

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

, coach Abdur Rahim had to substitute an injured Shantoo for the second choice Wahiduzzaman Pintu. Nevertheless, after Pintu's consecutive blunders Bangladesh lost the opening game 2–3. Shantoo went on to start the next couple of the group-stage games against

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, conceding a total of 8 goals during them.

Coaching career

Bangladesh U17

Shantoo first coached the Bangladesh U17 team during the

2004 AFC U-17 Championship qualification The AFC U-17 Championship 2004 Qualification was held from October 11 through 15, 2003. The drawing for its matchups was conducted on July 18, 2003, at the AFC office in Kuala Lumpur. Group 1 Group 2 ''Both matches played in Oman'' Group ...

, and led the team to qualification to the main round with a 3–0 aggregate victory over Kyrgyzstan U17. His performance resulted in his contract being extended at the end of 2003. Shantoo remained incharge of the Bangladesh U17 team for the

2004 AFC U-17 Championship The 2004 AFC U-17 Championship was the 11th AFC U-17 Championship, which was held between 4 and 18 September 2004 in Japan. China national football team, China won their second title after beating Korea DPR national football team, Korea DPR 1– ...

. Although the team got tharshed by

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

and

during the tournament, the team produced future senior international players such as Mohamed Zahid Hossain and

Mithun Chowdhury Mithun Chowdhury Mithun (born 10 February 1989) is a Bangladeshi footballer who last played as a striker for Farashganj SC in the Bangladesh Championship League. He also represented the Bangladesh national team and made his international debut ...

Bangladesh U23

Shantoo managed the defending champions Bangladesh U23 during the

2004 South Asian Games The 2004 South Asian Games, officially known as the IX South Asian Federation Games, were held in Islamabad, Pakistan from 29 March to 7 April 2004. Originally scheduled for 2001, the games were postponed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the U ...

. After a 0–0 draw with

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and a 2–1 win over

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, going into the last group game the Bangladesh team needed a draw against

to advance past the group-stage. However,

Muhammad Essa Muhammad Essa Khan (Urdu, Pashto: ; born 20 November 1983) is a Pakistani football manager and former footballer who played as a forward. He is the current head coach of Khan Research Laboratories. A former captain of the Pakistan national te ...

late penalty knocked Bangladesh out of the tournament.

BFF technical director

In November 2008, Shantoo was appointed as the first technical director of the

. Shantoo served in his post until 31 October 2010 when he was replaced by Bayazid Alam Zubair Nipu. It was reported that he was paid $3,000 in the first year, which was eventually reduced to Tk 1 lakh from his second year. Shantoo was also responsible for the appointment of Brazilian coach

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (located ...

as the head coach of the Bangladesh national team in December 2008.

Bangladesh

Shantoo was made the interim coach of the senior team before the

2009 SAFF Championship The 2009 SAFF Championship, South Asian Football Federation Championship was hosted by Bangladesh from 4 to 13 December 2009. Bangladesh was awarded to host the tournament after the withdrawal of original hosts India. After India's reluctance to ...

, after Brazilian coach

was sacked less than a month before the tournament got underway, as he refused to select established senior players. Shantoo's team cruised through the group-stage, with 4–1 and 2–1 wins over

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

However, in the semi-final Bangladesh suffered a 0–1 defeat to eventual champions

who had fielded an U23 side. The game marked the end of Shantoo's coaching career.

Honours

Mohammedan SC * Dhaka First Division League: 1969, 1976, 1978 Brothers Union *

Bangladesh Federation Cup Federation Cup, also known as Bangladesh Federation Cup or simply Fed Cup , is Bangladesh's premier cup competition in men's association football. The competition started in 1980 and is run by the Bangladesh Football Federation which is responsib ...

: 1980* *

Aga Khan Gold Cup The Aga Khan Gold Cup was a tournament played in Dhaka, Bangladesh which invited the club sides from leading football nations of Asia to compete. Many renowned football pundits regard this competition as a predecessor of the AFC Champions League ...

: 1981–82* East Pakistan * King Mahendra Cup: 1970 Awards and accolades *1979 − Sports Writers Association's Footballer of the Year. *1979 − Sports Writers Association's Best Sportsperson Award. *2004 − National Sports Award.

Cricket career

Shantoo also played domestic cricket for Mohammedan SC from 70s to 80s, and regularly played as a left-handed medium pace bowler. In the 1970s, during the Shahid Smriti tournament, he took 3 wickets in a single over against Dhaka Wanderers Club cricket team. During the 1963–64 season, he came to

to play summer cricket for the Sunrise Club of

as an eighth grade student. In the first match against National Sporting, he created a surprise with 7 wickets for 14 runs. In the First Division Cricket League he made his debut playing for Dhaka Wanderers Club in 1967. In the 1976–77 season he was a member of the Comilla team that won the national title defeating Dacca in the final.

References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shantoo, Shahidur Rahman Living people 1947 births Bangladeshi men's footballers Bangladesh men's international footballers Pakistani men's footballers Pakistan men's international footballers Dual internationalists (men's football) Dhaka Wanderers Club players Mohammedan SC (Dhaka) players Brothers Union players Men's association football goalkeepers Bangladeshi football managers Bangladesh national football team managers Asian Games footballers for Bangladesh Footballers at the 1978 Asian Games 1980 AFC Asian Cup players Recipients of the Bangladesh National Sports Award Footballers from Rangpur Division People from Rangpur, Bangladesh 20th-century Pakistani sportsmen 20th-century Bangladeshi sportsmen